wonderful video and very informative series! i was reading some of the comments to see if there was something i was getting wrong since the last two attempts i had with hexagons they keep ending up like a cone; never laying flat even with intense blocking. i see that i should be using m1b as well as m1t, but i cannot tell where the m1b is placed. is it a stitch pattern like (knit 2, m1t, knit 2, m1b) or (knit 2, m1t, m1b and repeat) ? thank you for these videos!
Thank you so much! With regard to the cone issue: I wrote my patterns to have increases every other round. This should make them lie flat. I know in the Persian Dreams pattern (I believe the very first one), the increases were less frequent and if your tension was too tight on top of that, your hexagons would be cone-like. I know that the author of that pattern subsequently created a newer addition, including expansion packs, to do the increases every other round to address the non-flatness issue. I hope this helps. Check the increase frequencies. I did M1Bs toward the end of each section to create a better "mirrored" effect. The M1B is the opposite of an M1T. It's just a "symmetry" thing and should not affect the flatness of the hexagon. Also, I had to practice a few hexagons years ago in order to adjust tension and create "muscle memory." I tried to convey some of that through the series. Let me know if I can be of any other help. 😀 -Clubkidknitter/Earl
Thank you for this feedback, Bernie. My apologies. I'll try and see if I can adjust the contrast in my editing software and / or I'll try making these using a lighter yarn. Thank you for watching and commenting. Happy knitting to you. - Clubkidknitter / Earl
This series is very helpful to me and taught me some good techniques, like the pinhole cast on. I am wondering what the pattern for increases is to make a hexagon? I am trying to make a hexagon for a different project, and am not using the blanket pattern (although I just might have to buy it now after seeing how pretty it is!). I am just curious to know how many rows of plain knitting there are in between increase rows to get the correct angle. Also - your channel is very lovely and you explain things very well!
Thank you so much for your comment and I'm glad you've found it helpful. With regard to increases, You are basically doing two increases (one on both ends of a section) every other round. If you wanted to make a square, you'd do increases like that every round (repeated four times instead of six). I'm going to be making octagons for another project (eight repeats) and the increases are a little more complicated. Hope that helps. Thanks again for watching and taking time to comment. Happy knitting! - Clubkidknitter/Earl
You're welcome, Susan. Yes, the M1B (Make One Back) is where you make the twist in the opposite direction of the M1T. Basically, make the twist clockwise and then slip onto needle. In doing so, the working yarn will be coming out of that increase from the back of your work, hence the name. The M1T is where the working yarn is coming toward you from the increase. The M1B is the mirror image of the M1T so that there will be symmetry along the six "spines" of the hexagon.
I've used those for the same stitch increases on both sides. I did, however, update my patterns to use the M1T at the start of a section and an M1B at the end because it's more proper and for more or better symmetry. The M1B is the mirror of M1T. The M1B (make on back) is where you twist the loop clockwise before slipping it onto the needle. Basically, the working yarn is exiting in the back of your work, hence the name. When making the M1T, you are twisting the loop counterclockwise before slipping it onto the needle and has the subsequent working yarn coming toward you. I'm making a video on the M1B since I started using that increase toward the end of the section on increase rounds. Sorry for the confusion.
Also, per your observation, it seems backward based upon which hand you use to make this increase. It's an optical illusion that it forms a backward one based upon where your hand is in relation to the increase. Regardless, both working yarns come toward you on the right side of your work. The M1B is where you make the e loop in reverse by simply twisting it clockwise rather than counterclockwise. If your working yarn is exiting through the back of your work (WS), you've actually created an M1B. I did put this in my pattern because it creates symmetric increases on each side of the knitted column going up the spine of each corner of the hexagon. I've made hexagons without the symmetry described above, using M1T for both increases. You really don't notice because the eye only sees two definitive increases, regardless of whether both e loops loops go in the same direction or one is a mirror of the other. Technically, increases should be symmetric, so I started documenting the M1B increase to oppose the M1T. Thank you for watching and for clarification. Happy knitting! - Clubkidknitter/Earl
Good morning from Portugal - firstly I’d like to thank you so much for your brilliant videos which have helped me get started on the Persian Dreams blanket. I have watched them many times and they are a great friend when I need guidance with my knitting. However, I am a little unclear on the M1T. The pattern calls for a M1T to be made using the background colour when you’re knitting English style. Does this mean that you have to make the M1T using the English method as described in your video. I have been doing them the ‘continental’ way because it’s easier for me but feel this may be a mistake. Thank you once again for your help. Regards Len.
First off: I am so sorry for not seeing your comment earlier. I am not sure what is going on with RU-vid as I check them, daily. My apologies. Thank you for your comment. Depending on how you hold your yarn and work with them will dictate the method of doing the M1T. I am a two-handed knitter, so I must do the M1T either English or Continental; If you don't knit two-handed and only, Continental, let's say, you would always do the M1T in the Continental fashion, regardless the color. Same would hold true for those who knit entirely in the English fashion (holding both yarns in the right hand): the M1T would be made the "English" style, regardless of color. I hope that makes sense. Again, so sorry for missing your comment. Thank you and happy knitting! - Clubkidknitter / Earl
